The Gift of (Awkward) Friendship
by Vaughntronic
Summary: Merlin and Arthur do Christmas... Merlin-and-Arthur-style.


**AN:** I don't own Merlin

**AN:** Written for Narlth on The Heart of Camelot for a Christmas Wishlist Event.

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><p>Merlin inhaled deeply, grinned nervously at the guard posted outside the Prince's door, and <em>knocked<em>.

"Enter," came the Prince's distracted and bored voice.

When Merlin pushed open the door, he swept the small box in his left hand behind his back and stepped in.

The Prince looked up, expecting to see a Knight or more deferent servant in front of him. It didn't occur to him that he would be met with the cheeky grin of his manservant, who most definitely did _not_ knock.

He recovered quickly and looked back down at the parchment he had been focused on - though he was not remotely interested in its contents. "Merlin," he greeted flatly.

"Afternoon, Sire," he responded cheerfully, stepping closer to the Prince's desk.

"What do you want, Merlin?" Arthur did not bother looking up again, exasperation coloring his tone.

Merlin did not answer, he simply brought the box from behind his back and held it out, still grinning widely, obviously pleased with himself.

Arthur's eyes flicked up at the offered container, then back down again, though he did not lift his head. "What is that?"

"Merry Christmas, Arthur!" Merlin was all but bouncing on his feet.

At this Arthur did raise his head, sharply, to glance at the box. "You're joking, right? You can't be serious, _Mer_lin."

Arthur looked up at Merlin with an imperious raise of his eyebrow and noted how the ridiculous smile on his servant's face slipped. "I don't need any gifts."

Merlin's smile was definitely gone now, and was fleetingly replaced by hurt, that was quickly schooled into annoyed.

"Right... Well..." Merlin was careful to let nothing but scorn and irritation through. "I don't have any need of it, so you can just use it as a paperweight for all I care." He slapped the package down on a stack of papers on Arthur's desk.

Arthur looked at the messy bow that had been tied around the plain box as Merlin whipped around towards the door.

"If you have time to bring me useless gifts, then surely you have time to bring me lunch." He could almost see the hackles raise on his servants neck, and he smirked to himself gleefully. "Now."

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><p>When Merlin returned with the Prince's lunch (that he did not spit in, despite a enticing desire to do so), he all but kicked the door open, ignoring the wince of the guard.<p>

Once he had kicked the door closed - hard - he couldn't help but look at the box that had not moved on the Prince's desk. He glowered and let the tray clatter a bit too hard onto the table.

He looked at Arthur then, and noticed with a bit of curiosity that he seemed quite winded. He couldn't help himself...

"Arthur, why are you all out of breath?" He stepped forward and noticed a thin sheen of sweat of Arthur's brow and around his hairline, and a tinge of worry shunted his irritation to the side. "Are you ill?"

Arthur was looking at the parchment held in his hands, but he was definitely not reading it. Merlin, who was now wholly focused on him, noticed.

"That'll be all Merlin." The Prince ignored his inquiry altogether.

"Arthur," Merlin stepped forward again.

"LEAVE!" The Prince yelled and Merlin's head jerked back in alarm.

"FINE!" Merlin shot back. "Gods you are such an _ass_, you know that?"

"If you weren't such a grating thorn in my side, I wouldn't have to be," the Prince said with a pointed lack of concern for Merlin's rage.

Merlin looked like he was seeing red, and again stormed his way out of the Prince's chambers, using all of his willpower to suppress the urge to set the ass on fire. _Prat!_

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><p>Merlin all but barreled through Gaius' chambers and into his small bedroom, ignoring the sputters of the indignant guardian he left in his wake. He slammed his door shut and locked it with magic, then muffled the sound so he could neither hear Gaius calling after him or be heard.<p>

He looked around his room for something to kill. Anything that he could just destroy to get the anger and _hurt_ out of his chest.

He knew Arthur could be an ass sometimes, but this was bordering on cruel... He had worked hard for that gift, and to not only have it ignored, but to have the Prince just order him around without so much as a 'thanks, but no thanks', was too much.

His eyes scanned his room for a likely target when they landed on a large box, plain, sitting on the foot of his bed with a big bright-red bow on the center.

Like someone had pulled the plug on his aggression, all the fury drained out of him, and was replaced by intense curiosity. He couldn't help it really, he was inquisitive by nature, and this begged to be investigated.

He suddenly felt awash with guilt for storming past Gaius like that without so much as a hello. Particularly if he was going to get a Christmas gift from the old man.

He sat on his bed and pulled the box into his lap. It wasn't heavy at all, and he caressed the large and very beautifully tied bow with his fingers before the _need to know_ won out, and he unraveled it.

When he opened the box, the first thing he was struck by was the _colors_.

There were five neatly folded rectangles of fine-spun cloth lined up next to each other in the shallow box - Red, Blue, Gray, Black, and Purple.

The colors were brand new, unmarred by use, and when he ran his fingers over them, it was the softest thing he thought he had ever felt.

As he stroked them, his fingers caught the edge of a bit of paper poking up between the third and fourth folded rectangle.

He pulled it out and unfolded it...

_For the record, I still think these things are utterly ridiculous, but since you seem determined to wear them anyway, you mine as well have some new ones._

_Honestly, the one's you have been wearing for the last few years look like the rags you use to scrub my floors. (Which needs doing, by the way.)_

The lump that formed in Merlin's throat was sudden and he swallowed around it, but not before one tiny tear snuck down his cheek.

He flipped the small note over, mostly out of habit, and noticed in smaller handwriting:

_Merry Christmas, Merlin_

_-A_

Yep. He was a complete girl. A total and utter girl, and he knows it. He sniffed his way through a few more tears and a wide grin looking at the lovely neckerchief's folded with care in the box.

He pulled the tatty red one from around his neck and lifted the new red one from the box, tying it around his neck. _Prat_.

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><p>When Merlin had carefully put the others away, he finally came out of his room to see a smirking Gaius as the old man took in the new addition to his otherwise worn clothes. Gaius had been in on it, sneaky bugger.<p>

"When?" asked Merlin, knowing his old friend would know what he meant.

Gaius shrugged; "Not long before you. He said something about lunch, and seemed in a great hurry."

Merlin suddenly remembered the state of Arthur when he left him... Winded and sweaty, and he felt warm affection spread leisurely through his chest. _Prat_.

* * *

><p>Merlin hoped that he had put his neutral expression back on his face when he entered the Prince's chambers again.<p>

He found the Prince's back to him, working his belt into position around his waist before sheathing his sword into it. _Right. Council meeting_.

Merlin stepped forward and began clearing the bit of lunch the Prince managed to eat in his absence before Arthur's voice cut through the room. "My jacket, Merlin."

Arthur had pointed at the brown jacket slung over the back of the changing screen without even turning to look at him.

Merlin rolled his eyes, but it was without venom. He was still feeling warm from the Prince's thoughtful gift.

Though, he now noticed that the box he left still had not moved from its spot on the desk, and his heart sank just a bit.

He grabbed the Prince's jacket and held it out while the Prince snaked his arms through the sleeves and then turned around so Merlin could adjust it on his shoulders properly.

Merlin carefully avoided Arthur's gaze, feeling embarrassed suddenly that he was wearing his new neckerchief, and did not want to send them on an awkwardly emotional staring contest.

When his thin fingers tucked under the collar of Arthur's coat to smooth it down, his knuckles brushed against something cold and metallic.

When he flicked the collar up to inspect the source, he found a gold dragon - the Pendragon dragon - pinned to the coat.

It was small, and obviously not made of real gold, but it was definitely the gold emblem of Pendragon.

Merlin had saved for a long time to have it crafted for him. (He may have also used magic to enhance its color and protect it from damage.)

He stopped breathing and looked quickly at the untouched box on Arthur's desk, then back at the pin, and then finally up at Arthur.

Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, and a small smirk played on Arthur's lips, taking in the red neckerchief sitting on his servant's shoulders. Then Arthur coughed and looked away while Merlin looked down - the awkward three seconds was more than enough for both of them.

Merlin gave Arthur's jacket one last tug into place before the prince side-stepped him towards the door. "Don't forget the floors _Mer_lin." And with that he was gone.

Merlin quickly picked up the box that he had left on the desk, trying to discover how Arthur had claimed the pin from it, when the bottom flapped open.

Merlin laughed aloud into the room.

_Prat_.


End file.
